The present invention relates generally to scroll machines and more specifically to an improved axially compliant mounting arrangement for scroll type compressors and arrangement for assembling the components thereof together which greatly facilitates the assembly thereof as well as enables testing of the compressor prior to installation of the compressor in the outer shell.
A unique axially compliant mounting arrangement is disclosed in the above referenced parent application Ser. No. 899,003, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,293. One embodiment of this mounting arrangement utilizes an elongated leaf spring strap having opposite ends secured to a flange portion provided on the non-orbiting scroll member. The center portion of this strap is secured to a pair of upstanding spaced posts provided on the main bearing housing. A stop flange is provided on the non-orbiting scroll which engages the lower surface of the strap to limit axial movement of the non-orbiting scroll member away from the orbiting scroll. A retainer overlies the center portion of the strap and serves as a backup to aid in limiting this axial separating movement of the non-rotating scroll. While this mounting arrangement offers excellent performance and durability characteristics, it requires a substantial number of components which render it rather costly in terms of both manufacturing and assembly time and material.
Accordingly, the present invention seeks to provide an improved mounting arrangement which offers all of the advantages provided by the above described mounting system but additionally requires fewer components and hence offers substantial cost savings in both manufacturing and assembly. In one embodiment, the non-orbiting scroll member is secured to the main bearing housing by means of a plurality of bolts extending therebetween which allow limited relative axial movement between the bearing housing and the non-orbiting scroll member. In another embodiment, a separate annular ring is fixedly secured to the bearing housing in surrounding relationship to the non-orbiting scroll member and includes abutment surfaces operative to allow limited relative axial movement of the non-orbiting scroll. A third embodiment is disclosed which is similar to the second embodiment except that the annular ring is integrally formed with a portion of a two piece main bearing housing and separate axial stop means and anti-rotation means are provided. In this embodiment, the two piece main bearing housing is designed to be secured to a lower bearing housing into which the motor stator is fitted. Thus, the entire compressor may be assembled and tested if desired prior to installation of the compressor assembly in the outer hermetic shell. Additionally, this arrangement eliminates the reliance on the outer shell for relative positioning and/or alignment of the components. In a fourth embodiment, an annular stamped ring is pressfitted or otherwise fixedly secured to the non-orbiting scroll and bolted to the bearing housing. The stamped ring offers sufficient flexibility to allow limited axial movement of the non-orbiting scroll.
Each of these embodiments offer distinct advantages with respect to overcoming the often conflicting problems of minimizing the amount of high precision machining required, the need for accurately positioning the non-orbiting scroll member relative to the orbiting scroll member, minimizing the number of components required and hence the complexity and time required for assembly as well as minimizing costs without loss of durability and/or reliability of the resulting scroll compressor.
Additional advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent description and the appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.